New ecological ethics of empathy

A. Tetior, Prof., Dr. Sc. Moscow State University of Environmental Engineering.

The mankind in the beginning of XXI century constantly goes away from ethic mutual relation with nature. The powerful intellect of person has created complex problems of its life and activity influencing on mankind’s destiny and destiny of planet. The growth of variety of negative influences on nature is parallel to growth of technical variety; it is observed in process of growth of development of mankind and technological progress. Each positive direction of perfection of mankind development is accompanied by unethical negative direction. Variety of negative influences, their quantity and degree of danger for nature and man steadily grow. Now proposals on interaction of the person and environment remind of Commandments of Bible, which are completely correct and ethic, but not realized until now.

Ethics of empathy do not demand of love to all creations of wildlife; it does not demand of reverence for all forms of life. This ethics supposes deep understanding of their indispensability and necessity. All forms of life are necessary and invaluable for nature; they can not be replaced with other animals. They do not demand creation for them more favorable, comfort and sparing conditions of life. The position of the person in relation to nature is very important; it is possible to love all nature or only its beautiful part; it is possible to reverence all animate nature or only its positive part. There are in nature very negative subjects and phenomena, which it is impossible to reverence, which cannot be loved. The concepts of "reverence" and "love" in models of ideal ecological ethics have human character and consequently they are inapplicable for objective ecological interaction with nature. It is incredibly complicated to recognize equality of all animate organisms: for example, of harmful insects, vampires, parasites, pathogenic bacteria, and of microbes. The mankind, evidently, in mass never will rise up to such recognition. Even outstanding scientific - ecologists are horrified at look, for example, big "terrible" spider.

Author proposes to inculcate new ethics of empathy to life of nature, of understanding (from position of human life) all complexity and difficulty of life of animate organisms in nature. The empathy to life of divine creations of nature is empathy to life of worm, one-day moth, ant, gazelle, mollusk, plankton, wolf in snow-clad forest, "terrible" spider, etc. These billions animate creatures constantly, expediently for cycle of matter, for support of life and homeostasis on Planet, are called into being absolutely irrespective of their wish and constantly disappear. They realize small or large functions, equally irreplaceable and consequently extremely valuable for nature. Nobody will realize these functions. Life of set of animals in soil-vegetative layer is especially unenviable (from human point of view); they process all organic waste and separate them on elements again to include in cycle of matter these elements. These small animals carry out completely exclusive on value and "divine" functions; they pretend not on any understanding or sympathy on the side of somebody. And thus they are very ugly from the point of view of person; they eat badly smelling carrion, are hidden in ground and try to not be shown on eyes.

What is life of many animals from position of human values? Life of large animals includes constant search of food, alarm for itself and for animal's young, and struggle for their growth and preservation, pain from their losses. These animals are exposed constantly to all climatic influences: rain, cold, heat, snow, drought, etc. They live or directly on nature, or arrange elementary dens, nests, shelters. Thus they hope for protection against climatic influences only with the help of own skin. Sometimes they do not sleep almost (for example, giraffes) to not become a victim of a predator. They are exposed to many illnesses, and choose a way of treatment. They have no place for treatment, except for the nature.

Small animals, including insects, worms etc., occupy the ecological niches in huge network of life, and realize the own individual functions. They cannot realize other functions, cannot be cleverer, and cannot evolve fast in the side of growth of beauty. In this connection it is possible to consider life of the various parasites living inside a body of animals and, as a rule, extremely unattractive by sight (words worm, parasite, etc. are abusive language). The parasites can not become humane and nice; vampires and predators can not turn to vegetative feed: they have short bowels, digesting only blood and flesh. At last, such absolutely small creations, as bacteria, microbes, viruses, also are in global network of life, and without them life of animate nature and evolution are impossible. In ethics of empathy the love to all creations of the animate nature is not required, and the more so reverence before all forms of life; it is necessary the simple understanding of their indispensability and necessity. Their life is necessary and is invaluable for nature; they can not be replaced by other animals. It is impossible to create for them others, more favorable, sparing conditions of life. This new ecological ethics of empathy differs from other ethics that it is more objective and dialectical. Sympathy and empathy are deep feelings based on understanding of other forms of life, their applicability and difficulties. This ethics supposes deep penetration into laws of ecology, in interrelation of all phenomena, in interdependence all animate nature and in dependence of the person from nature. It supposes knowledge of ecology, evolution, and understanding of important role of all animate nature in support of life on the Earth. Animals during evolution have occupied various ecological niches, have achieved different level of development - and complicated, and very primitive. Each of them carries out a number of functions, which anybody can not carry out.

We do not know, whether receive all animals any encouragement or satisfaction from life, from good realization of functions, from achievement of purpose (similarly to the man). Probably, many larger animals receive satisfaction; they are capable to game, curiosity, even to a joke. But many simpler animals are hardly capable to receive any encouragement for the action. The life of all animals proceeds in complex conditions: they depend very much on weather and features of a climate, from a status of an environment, from features of mutual relation in that food chain, in which they are. Many little animals perish, not having achieved maturity. Many animals perish after birth of posterity. Some animals perish during pairing. The huge mass of animals realizes functions of sanitation of the nature, clearing it from waste. Many animals are food for other animals. The person is able to understand only such dangerous, heavy, complete hardship life of animals. They of anything were not guilty; they realize very important functions frequently in awful conditions from the human point of view. They help to support life on the Earth. The ethics of empathy as one of set of ecological ethics will help the person to concern to animate nature more objectively.

Now mankind is in beginning of long and complex way of understanding and inculcation of new ethics of interaction with nature. Human society is characterized by consumer attention to nature; it replaces flora and fauna from all spheres: atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. It is necessary to inculcate ecological ethics of interaction with nature and new ethics of empathy.

Reference:

A. Tetior. Plurality of environmental ethics. - М., Nature, 2000